Quick Guide to Dreamforce 2017

It’s that time of the year again – Dreamforce. In what has come to be known as the ‘Super Bowl of SaaS,’ the best and brightest in cloud software will descend upon San Francisco for a week of learning, networking, and of course partying.

A lot has changed since the first Dreamforce back in 2003. When Salesforce first kicked off the event, there were only 1,300 people registered to attend, and when Salesforce Live was introduced in 2010, 22,750 viewers tuned in. Fast forward to 2017, and over 170,000 customer trailblazers are registered to attend from 51 countries, while more than 15 million viewers will attend via LIVE.

The sold out event boasts more than 1,700 sessions, hundreds of world-class parties, and a plethora of panel discussions, fireside chats, and workshops littered between. It doesn’t matter how many times someone attends Dreamforce because navigating this event can be quite the task.

Here are some events, sessions, and extracurricular activities that standout this year:

Opening Keynote: In what has come to be known as the can’t miss event of the week, join Marc Benioff and a number of special guests as they kick off the week. Last year, Salesforce’s retail platform and AI-powered assistant were front-and-center. What does Benioff have up his sleeve this year?

Sales Enablement Soiree (11/8) – The Sales Enablement Soiree is the only networking event exclusively for the sales enablement community at Dreamforce. The event is located at the Four Seasons from 9am-5pm on Wednesday, November 8. While making your plans, be sure to catch LearnCore’s VP of Sales, Patrick Rodgers, presenting from 11:30am-11:50am and LearnCore’s CEO, Vishal Shah, joining a panel with John Barrows, Amanda Breckenridge of LinkedIn, and Julie Newhouse of Lyft, on “Modern Coaching & Training at Scale” from 2:00pm-2:45pm. Register here – Sales Enablement Soiree Registration

Happy Hour with Ambition and LearnCore: When the lights turn low at the Moscone Center, that’s when the real Dreamforce magic starts and there are plenty of after hour events to choose from. To kickoff Dreamforce, you’re invited to join LearnCore and Ambition as we host “The Unofficial Official After-Party” on Monday evening at the W Hotel from 3pm-8pm. Register now as last year’s event sold-out: #DF17 Kickoff and Conversations at the W

Breakout Session: Sales Summit: AI – Friend or Foe to Sales (11/6) – Join John Barrows, Doug Landis, and Trish Bertuzzi on Monday, November 6 from 11:00am-11:40am at the Marriott to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI as it relates to sales. More Info – AI Breakout Session

Dreamfest: For the first time, this year’s Dreamfest will take place at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. This year’s lineup includes 15-time Grammy Award-winner, Alicia Keys, rock’n’roll legend, Lenny Kravitz, and up-comer Lukas Nelson. All proceeds benefit USCF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

Volunteer On-site: Last year, attendees helped (RED) work toward ending AIDS for good. This year, Salesforce is supporting equal access to education and opportunity for all. Head to the Learning Cabin in Dream Valley for the opportunity to get involved. For every Dreamforce Quest that’s completed, Salesforce.org will donate $50 and split between the Girl Scouts, College Track, and Upwardly Global.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though. Download the Salesforce Dreamforce Events App for everything you need. You can use filters to easily search and narrow down the list to your preference, and keep track of all your sessions as they happen.

This will be my second year returning to Dreamforce, and the last piece advice I can give – as J. Barrows says, “Make it Happen!” Don’t take one second for granted, and make the best of every opportunity you have. With a little luck, you may be rubbing shoulders with Ashton Kutcher or Michelle Obama by week’s end. Also, don’t forget to use hashtag #DF17 to keep up with LearnCore and the conversations all week long.